Obama in Rosh Hashanah message: Israel bond “unshakeable” (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

President Barack Obama released a video message Tuesday to mark tomorrow's start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Obama used the message to reaffirm his administration's commitment to Israel, CBS reports.

"While we cannot know all that the New Year will bring, we do know this: the United States will continue to stand with Israel, because the bond between our two nations is unshakeable," he said in the video.

More from GlobalPost: Even good news is bad news for Israel

Obama said the high holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, offer "an opportunity to reaffirm our friendships, renew our commitments, and reflect on the values we cherish."

The message comes at a time when Obama is trying to also reaffirm his commitment to Israel, an ally of the United States in the Middle East, by opposing the Palestinians' bid for statehood at the United Nations.

The moves come as Obama tries to solidify his support among Jewish Americans ahead of his reelection. CBS reports that there is evidence that Jewish Americans, an important voting group, are not happy with the government's relationship with Israel.

"The American Jewish Committee's annual survey of American Jewish adults, conducted this month, found that support for the president has dropped in the past year, in part because most disapprove of the way Mr. Obama is handling relations with Israel," it states.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday that it is disappointed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval of construction of 1,100 homes in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, AFP reports.

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